I'm a girl in my 20s

There is only one celebrity that I believe will shock me if I ever meet her. One person I admired as soon as I saw her on screen due to her realness, sincerity and willingness to grow. Leah Kateb showed all of these things during her time on screen in “Love Island” season 6. I’m not a fan of reality T.V. In fact I think it’s dumb and sometimes fake, but when the media kept posting about season 6 of love islands stars, I was pulled in and immediately understood. 

There is very little representation in the media of how dating works in today’s era.  We compete against online dating and “hook up culture” instead of finding real love out of fear. Leah Kateb, along with her other costars, showed the audience when to choose yourself when you’re not being appreciated in a relationship. They represented girlhood in such beautiful ways that bonded them into growing with each other and as individuals. They expressed self-respect and compassion. I believe a big part of that season’s success had to do with the fact the audience could relate to any member of the cast for both their flaws and strengths. 

If you know me personally, I will never stop talking about Leah Kateb and how she changed my life. I watched her crash out on screen because a man did not know how to communicate his confusing feelings. I watched her confide and argue with her friends like sisters. I watched her learn to accept her flaws and admit her wrongs. I watched her set boundaries in relationships and appreciate love lost and love gained. I watched her be human, as human as I am and will ever be. Leah made me feel seen and that is why I admire her. 

As a born and raised valley girl, judging from her accent, I immediately knew she was from my hometown. This made me feel even more recognized as a 20-year-old girl navigating love for herself and love for others in the big city.  

My biggest takeaway from her time on screen was the representation of girlhood. The girls on that season were similar enough to bond but different enough to handle situations in distinct ways. This is something you will find in almost every friend group, you’ll find a balance of logical thinkers and emotional thinkers. This combination makes friendship work, it allows people to lean on each other and think of solutions they wouldn’t have thought of because they’re one or the other. 

Neither is right or wrong, in fact, it’s situational. One day you may need to think logically to solve a problem and the next you’ll need to become an emotional thinker. I’ve found that the only way to balance both for yourself is finding advice within genuine friendships. 

People need people to grow. You need friends who can point out when you’re wrong and when they do, allow them to guide you. True friendships lift the blind folds or remove the rose-colored glasses by providing empathy and honesty. Through empathy, friendships have guided me to become more self-compassionate, my friends have shown me their own humanity and reminded me that we are all just a girl.